


Sky Full Of Stars

by dimensionhoppingrose



Series: Lost In The Stars [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cameos from Martha Mickey and Donna, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:00:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23060581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/dimensionhoppingrose
Summary: —Sequel to A Place For Us To Dream & A Journey Through Time—Chapter One: The Eleventh Hour - Seven-year-old Amy Pond's entire life changes when a blue box crashes in her backyard.Chapter Two: Time comes full circle when Rose finds out River's latest trip is to the Library.(This will make exactly zero sense if you haven't read the first two stories. Just... be warned.)
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor & Amy Pond, Eleventh Doctor & Amy Pond & Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor & River Song, Eleventh Doctor/Rose Tyler, River Song & Rose Tyler, Rose Tyler & Amy Pond, Rose Tyler & Amy Pond & Rory Williams
Series: Lost In The Stars [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/798663
Comments: 18
Kudos: 185





	1. The Eleventh Hour

**Author's Note:**

> So it's been just over two years since I finished posting A Journey Through Time. Wild, right? I'm still on this account writing for different fandoms (Steven Universe and Ducktales 2017 if you're interested), and I still weirdly get a lot of reviews for A Place For Us To Dream and A Journey Through Time. I'm surprised anyone can even find them.
> 
> Anyways, back when I finished posting those, I mentioned that I had written out parts of A Sky Full of Stars, and with my Doctor Who spark slightly reignited (Jodie's Doctor is my everything and can you imagine if I was still writing this series and got to her???? Short Blonde Space Wives ftw), so I decided to post the two chapters I wrote - The Eleventh Hour and The Death of River Song. And yes, I know that second one is extremely random to have written before I even finished A Journey Through Time, but I got an idea in my head and I had to write it before it slipped. The Eleventh Hour was originally a two-parter, but I just wanted to post everything once and keep things together, so it's one HUGE chapter instead of two moderately sized ones. This is *all* I've written for anything past the Tenth Doctor, and I don't have any intentions of continuing, but... idk, with all the nice reviews I've been getting, I just really wanted to share these.
> 
> Anyways, onward with The Eleventh Hour!

Amelia Pond checked the front door to make sure it was firmly locked. Aunt Sharon was out for the night, and she liked to make sure everything was locked up good and tight before she went to bed.

Assured that she was secure, the girl went back to her room, settling down on her knees to begin her prayers.

“Dear Santa. Thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you, but honestly, it’s an emergency. Do you think you could send me some company? Aunt Sharon is gone a lot, and I get lonely here by myself, and Rory is boring and goes to bed at, like, eight. I just want some more friends. I’m not picky, really. Anyone will do.”

A strange, wheezing noise reached her ears, and then a _crash_ from the garden, and she jumped.

“Be right back,” she assured Santa, jumping up and running out of the room. She found her jacket and shoes and a torch and hurried outside.

Her mouth dropped when she saw the giant blue box laying on its side in the garden.

“…Whoa.”

As she watched, a pair of doors flew open, and a grappling hook flew up, latching on the edge of the door. A moment later an incredibly wet man popped over the edge, grinning.

“Sorry, sorry. Hope I didn’t wake you up. Where are we? Oh, could I have an apple? I have a weird craving for an apple right now. At least it isn’t pear. Eugh Rose, could you imagine — Rose?”

Amelia watched, stunned, as another person — a woman this time, equally wet — pulled herself up next to the man, glaring at him.

“I hate you.”

The man chuckled, pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the box and taking the woman’s hand, helping her up to sit next to him. When she was settled he looked down into the box.

“Whoa. Look at that.”

“Are you okay?” Amelia called up. The two looked back down at her.

“Just had a fall,” the man replied. “All the way down there, right into the library. Hell of a climb back up, wasn’t it, love?”

“I still hate you.”

“You’re both soaking wet,” Amelia pointed out.

“Yeah we landed in the swimming pool,” the man said, shrugging.

“You said you were in the library.”

“Apparently the swimming pool moved,” the woman said, raising an eyebrow at the man, and he smiled weakly.

“Yeah well — argh!”

The man fell off the edge of the box, hitting the ground with a thud and curling up.

“Doctor!” The woman cried, jumping down hurriedly and kneeling beside him. Amelia rushed to her side, worried. “Doctor, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“What’s going on?” Amelia asked, looking between them. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine,” the man said, picking himself up and shaking his head. “Sorry. It’s okay. I’m okay. This is all perfectly norm—”

He cut off as a puff of golden smoke came out of his mouth. Amelia blinked, stunned.

“Normal,” he finished, making a face. The woman gave him a look.

“Are you okay? Really?”

“Perfectly fine, love, honest. It’s not like last time, I promise.” He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Don’t worry about it.”

This was all _way_ over Amelia’s head. “Who are you guys?” She asked, looking between them.

“Well, I’m the Doctor,” the man introduced himself. “And this is my wife, Rose.”

The woman gave Amelia a small smile. “Hullo. Sorry, I know this is a lot. I hope we didn’t scare you.”

Amelia shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m not scared. Do you want to come in? I can get you towels.”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Are your mum and dad home, sweetheart?”

“No, they’re dead. I live with my Aunt Sharon. She’s at book club.” That was code for _spending the night drinking wine with her friends_. “She won’t be home for a while. It’s okay.”

Rose helped the Doctor up, and Amelia led them inside. She left them in the kitchen, returning a moment later with towels and a cricket bat.

“If you guys try to kidnap me I’ll hit you,” she informed them seriously. They laughed.

“That’s fair enough. We promise not to kidnap you.”

They took the towels and dried off while Amelia went to get the Doctor an apple.

“If you’re a doctor,” she asked as she returned, “why does your box say Police?” To Rose, “Are you police?”

“No, it’s a long story—”

Rose was cut off as the Doctor bit into the apple — and instantly spit it out again.

“That’s disgusting! What is that?”

“Doctor!” Rose snapped, giving him a look. “It’s an apple. You asked for a bloody apple. You could at least say thank you.”

“Right, sorry. Thank you Amelia. I guess I don’t like apples after all.”

Rose rolled her eyes, sighing. “Sorry about him, he’s a bit finicky sometimes.”

“It’s okay.” It was a bit funny, actually. “Do you want anything else?”

“I’ll feed him,” Rose said. “Why don’t you guys sit down? Do you have any ice cream?”

“Yeah, in the freezer.”

Amelia sat down with the Doctor while Rose went to retrieve the ice cream, setting a bowl down in front of Amelia. “So what’s your name?” The Doctor asked as he watched the redhead eat.

“Amelia Pond.”

“Oh, that’s a brilliant name,” the Doctor said brightly. “Amelia Pond. Like a name in a fairy tale. Are we in Scotland, Amelia?”

“No. We had to move to England. It’s rubbish.”

“Oi, you be nice to England,” Rose said as she returned with a bowl of soup, setting it down in front of the Doctor and sitting next to him. Amelia made a face — she hadn’t brought any food for herself.

“Aren’t you gonna eat?”

“I’m not hungry,” Rose said with a shrug. Amelia watched her for a minute before getting up, returning a moment later with another bowl of ice cream that she put in front of Rose.

“You fed both of us,” she said seriously. “So I get to feed you.”

Rose smiled, picking up the spoon. “Fair enough. Thank you, sweetie.”

They ate in silence for a bit. Rose didn’t really seem to want the ice cream, Amelia noticed. “Do you want a different kind?” She asked as Rose set the spoon down after barely eating half the bowl. “We have chocolate too.”

“No, it’s alright. I just feel a bit sick. Crash landings will do that to you.” She shot the Doctor a glare, and he smiled weakly.

“I’ll fix it. I promise.” He kissed the top of her head. Amelia smiled a bit.

“You guys are like my parents. They used to kiss all the time. It was gross.”

They laughed at that. “No boyfriends then, Amelia?” Rose asked. Amelia shook her head.

“No way. I mean I have a boy who’s a friend. But he’s not my _boyfriend_. I don’t even think he likes girls.”

“Well he’s friends with you,” the Doctor pointed out before slurping up his soup.

“I meant _like_ likes girls, Doctor,” Amelia informed him, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah Doctor, keep up,” Rose teased, elbowing him. He made a face.

“Oi, you two are ganging up on me and I don’t appreciate—”

An alarm blared outside quite suddenly and at the same time Rose cried out, grabbing her head. “Whoa, okay.” The Doctor held her steady. “Okay, it’s all right. I’ll fix this.”

“What’s going on?” Amelia asked, jumping up as they stood — Rose looked very unsteady.

“It’s our ship — come on.”

The couple rushed outside, with Amelia right behind them. “We’ve got to get back in there,” the Doctor said, trying to hoist himself over the edge of the box. “The engines are phasing. It’s going to burn!”

“I _really_ don’t like the sound of that,” Rose gritted out.

“Yeah, it’s not pleasant.”

“But it’s just a box,” Amelia protested. “How can a box have engines?”

“It’s not a box,” the Doctor explained, trying again to get in. “It’s a time machine.”

“What, a real one?” Amelia asked in disbelief. “You’ve got a real time machine?”

“Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized. Five-minute hop into the future should do it.”

“Can I come with you?” Amelia asked eagerly. They were nice and they seemed to like her. Maybe they could be her new parents.

“It’s too dangerous, Amelia,” Rose said gently. “Hang on, though.” She dug through her jacket pocket, coming up with a pen and paper. She scribbled on the paper quickly before handing it to Amelia. “This is my mobile number. Next time your aunt leaves and you’re lonely, give us a ring and we’ll come keep you company. Okay?”

Amelia nodded. “Okay. Good luck with your ship.”

“Aha!” The Doctor said happily as he hoisted himself over the edge at last. “C’mon Rose, we gotta go!”

Rose gave Amelia a quick smile before the Doctor helped her up, and they disappeared in, closing the door. Amelia watched as the box disappeared.

* * * * *

“And done!” The Doctor said proudly as he popped out from below the gratings. Rose had tried to help but her head was pounding something awful, and in the end she’d decided to minimize risk of injury to herself and the TARDIS and just lay down on the jump seat until the Doctor had fixed everything.

She opened her eyes now, making a face when she saw that the console room looked different. “You changed the desktop,” she complained, sitting up. The Doctor paused, looking a little put out.

“Do you not like it? I can change it back…”

Rose pushed herself up, looking around. “No, it’s nice,” she decided finally, giving the Doctor a smile — and then raising an eyebrow. “Think it’s time to get you some new clothes, love.”

He looked down at his torn dress shirt and pinstripe pants and sighed. “Right.”

~*~

“How about-”

“No, Doctor.”

“But-”

“ _No_ , Doctor.”

“Please?”

“You are _not_ wearin’ sequins.”

The Doctor sighed, looking entirely put out. “You’re no fun,” he huffed as he tossed the jacket over his shoulder. “I’ll have you know that was a gift from Elvis.”

“I believe it.” Rose got on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his lips. His new, yet still familiar lips. “Come on. You look like a kid playing dress up with your dad’s clothes.”

He’d already ditched the suit jacket, but the oxford shirt was hanging off of him -- somehow he’d gotten _skinnier_ \-- and he kept tripping over the now too-long pants.

The Doctor dove back into the never-ending rows of clothes, and a moment later let out a delighted yell. “Rose, look!” He ran back with a _long_ rainbow scarf. “Wore this with my fourth body.”

Rose stared at it for a long minute, blinking rapidly. “What do you think?” He threw it around his neck, beaming.

“I think you’d trip and kill yourself. Do you really want to explain to everyone that you regenerated because you tripped on your scarf?”

“I’ll have you know, Rose Tyler, that I did not trip _once_ the entire time I wore this.”

“I’m sure Sarah Jane would say differently,” Rose teased. “But anyways, I’ve seen you trip over _air_ three times alone. Put the scarf back.”

He pouted, pulling the scarf off and tossing it away. “You’re no fun.”

“Just don’t want you burnin’ through regenerations too fast, love.” She shuddered at the thought of outliving him. Although the irony would be _wonderful_.

While he looked around, Rose went exploring a bit as well. It had been a while since she’d had a good look around the wardrobe room, though at one time it had been her favorite room on the TARDIS. She’d spent hours in here, trying on new clothes, modeling for herself and laughing.

It felt like another lifetime now.

“How about this?”

The Doctor came bouncing back out, wearing a pair of black pants that fell just above his ankles with suspenders over his shoulders, and a nice white button-down shirt. “Better?” He spread his arms out for Rose to examine him.

“Well I don’t see anything you’ll trip and kill yourself over so that’s a plus,” Rose teased. “I dunno, I feel like there’s somethin’… missin’.”

She wandered deeper into the room, looking around. After a moment her eyes fell on a tweed jacket, and she smiled. “What do you think?” She popped back out, and held the jacket out for him to see. He pulled it on, examining himself in the full-length mirror.

“Hmm… not quite… oh!”

He ran to a nearby dresser, keeping his back to Rose as he pulled something out.

“Tada!”

He whirled back around to show her the bow tie he’d tied around his neck. “Cool, right?”

Rose laughed, going to straighten the bow tie and kissing him. “Very cool.”

He smiled as they kissed, speaking against her lips. “Is this body okay, then?”

“Absolutely,” Rose assured him, hand coming up to cup his neck. “I told you. Never gonna leave you no matter what. Even if you sprout two heads. Although I might have to ductape one of the mouths.”

He laughed at that. “Fair. Very fair.”

* * *

Amelia hesitated with the phone in her hand, frowning. Aunt Sharon was gone for the night, and there was a storm outside. She really wanted company. And Rose had said she could call…

Finally she dialed the number Rose had given her, putting the phone to her ear. One ring…two rings…three rings…

“ _Hello_?”

Amelia fidgeted uncertainly. “Hi Rose.”

“ _Oh, hey Amelia! What’s up?_ ”

“Well, I was wondering — I mean, if your ship’s fixed — if you guys wanted to…ya know…come hang out.”

“ _Sure, sweetheart_ ,” Rose said gently. “ _Is it okay if we land in the garden again_?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“ _Great. We’ll be there soon_.”

No sooner did Amelia hang up did she hear the wheezing noise of the blue box. She grabbed a couple umbrellas and ran outside to greet them. “Oooooh, quite the storm!” The Doctor said as he peeked outside. “Well then.”

“Here.” Amelia handed the the Doctor the second umbrella and he popped it open so he and Rose could step out under it. Thunder crashed overhead, and she winced.

“Not afraid of the thunder, are you?” The Doctor asked brightly as they made it inside. Amelia’s lower lip jutted out in a pout.

“ _No_. Of course not. I’m not a baby.”

“Oi, you’re so rude,” Rose sighed, elbowing the Doctor. Amelia giggled a bit.

They settled down in the living room to watch a movie, but after the third clap of increasingly loud thunder, it became obvious that Amelia was, in fact, scared. “You know I used to be scared of thunder storms too,” Rose said, pausing the movie and looking down at Amelia. The girl blinked in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Know what my mum used to tell me?”

“What’s that?”

“That thunder and lightning is just the angels bowling. Thunder is when they throw the ball down the lane, and when there’s lightning that means someone got a strike.”

Right on cue, another flash of lightning lit up the sky. “Oh look, one just got a strike!”

Amelia giggled. They spent the next hour counting how many strikes the angels got while the Doctor ate all the popcorn.

* * * * *

“Amelia, you said your aunt would be home,” Rory complained as Amelia led him and Mels out to the garden. “We’re gonna get in trouble.”

“I can’t believe you lied to Rory’s parents,” Mels said, laughing. “That’s _awesome_.”

“I said we weren’t gonna be home _alone_ ,” Amelia corrected. “And we’re not. My friends will be here any minute.”

“What friends?”

Right on cue, the wheezing sound of the TARDIS echoed through the garden, and Amelia grinned. Rory and Mels looked around, bewildered.

“What—?”

They froze when the TARDIS started to appear.

“…Whoa.”

The door opened, and Rose was first out this time, smiling when she saw the trio of kids. “Having a sleepover, sweetie?”

“Dear god they’ve multiplied,” the Doctor said as he peeked around Rose. She rolled her eyes, stepping on his foot.

“I swear he’s cute and sweet when we’re alone. So, who’re your friends?”

Amelia giggled, looking back at the shocked children behind her. “This is Rory, and Mels.” They raised their hands, waving. “And guys, this is Rose and the Doctor.”

“Are you guys aliens?” Mels blurted out.

“Oh she’s smart,” the Doctor said happily. “I like her. Yes, we are.”

“Well, _he_ is.” Rose corrected. “I’m from Earth.”

“Did you just come out of a _box_?” Rory asked, trying to look around them.

“It’s called a TARDIS,” Amelia said proudly. “It’s their time machine. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Amelia led them in, Rory still gaping at the adults. Mels, on the other hand, had accepted them easily. “Is it _really_ a time machine? Can you go _anywhere_?”

“Well it’s not just a time machine,” the Doctor said. “It can also travel in space.”

“ _Really?_ You can go to the other planets, too?”

Rose smiled, letting the Doctor answer Mels’ rapid fire of questions. Rory was looking a bit pale under his floppy hair. “Are you all right, kiddo?” She asked gently. She got the feeling Amelia hadn’t warned them about any of this. Which was fair. How was she supposed to explain “I have these friends who live in a blue box and come whenever I call them”?

“Are you guys really real aliens?” Rory asked after a minute. Rose nodded.

“The Doctor is, yeah. Is that okay?”

“Rory’s dad believes in aliens,” Amelia piped up. “He’s always sitting outside watching the stars and sending messages to aliens with flashlights.”

“Oh, that’s rubbish,” the Doctor piped up. “No spaceship flying by is gonna see a bloke with a flashlight, it’s too weak.”

“He’s kinda rude sometimes,” Amelia told Rory. Rose laughed.

“He can’t help it but don’t be afraid to call him on it, either. If he doesn’t know he’s being rude, he’ll never learn.”

The Doctor pouted a bit at that. “You’re so mean to me.”

Rose kissed him gently. “Oh yeah, they’re married too,” Amelia added to her friends. “They do that a lot. It’s not as gross as it sounds.”

* * *

“Tada!” The Doctor said with a flourish as he held up his brand new sonic screwdriver. Rose raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a little…big…isn’t it love?”

“It’s cool!” Rose rolled her eyes. He had a bit of an obsession with that word. “I can make you one too if you want. We’ll match!”

“I’ll pass, thanks.” Rose fished her own, significantly smaller sonic screwdriver out of her pocket, holding it up. “I’m perfectly happy with the one I’ve got.”

“Well you are now. But this one is _clearly_ better. I upgraded it!”

Rose made a face at him. “Yeah? Can it do wood yet?”

“Well…no. But neither can yours.”

“I’ll consider it upgraded when you figure out a wood setting.”

* * *

Amelia Pond was fourteen years old when she decided she didn’t want to be Amelia anymore. It was too…stuffy. She wanted a shorter name, a cool name, like Mels.

“Don’t call me Amelia anymore,” was her way of greeting the Doctor and Rose when they landed in the garden one Saturday night. Aunt Sharon was out of town for the weekend.

“What are we supposed to call you, then?” The Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow. “Ginger? Can I call you Ginger? I’ve always wanted to be ginger, you know. Meet plenty of gingers but never get to be one.”

The redhead gave Rose a look, and she shook her head. “Don’t ask. Just let him babble. What do you want to be called then, sweetie?”

“Amy!” It was the perfect name.

“Amy Pond.” The Doctor tried it out, tilting his head. “I like it.”

“Very fittin’,” Rose agreed, leaning in to kiss Amy’s forehead, and she grinned. “So what’re we up to tonight? More homework?”

“It’s _Saturday_ ,” Amy complained, pouting. “Come back tomorrow and we can do homework.” She’d been getting bad marks in history since the new school year had started — thankfully she had the two best history teachers in the universe at her disposal. The Doctor had the knowledge and Rose had the patience to teach it.

“Come on, let’s watch a movie. I got pizza!”

“No anchovies?” The Doctor confirmed as they made their way inside.

“No, no anchovies.” She’d never make that mistake again.

* * *

“Are they coming over tonight?” Rory asked as they settled in Amy’s room to do homework.

“They said they would, yeah. They were gonna stay over but then the Doctor said he got a distress signal from somewhere. I think he just didn’t wanna hang around.”

Right on cue they heard the familiar wheeze of the TARDIS. Amy grinned, jumping up and running out to the garden, with Rory right behind her.

They were a bit surprised when the Doctor stepped out alone. That never happened. “Where’s Rose?” Amy blurted out, looking around. The Doctor pulled an offended look.

“Oi, am I not enough? Or do you just like Rose better?”

Amy put on a patient smile, hugging him quickly. “Of course not, I love you both equally. Just — is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” the Doctor assured Amy gently. “Just a bit of a…mishap. She’s resting.” He paused for a moment before saying, “Do you want to see her?”

Amy’s and Rory’s mouths fell open. “What, like…go inside the TARDIS?” The former asked after a minute, disbelief clear in her tone. “Really?”

“Sure! I mean, we’re not going anywhere obviously, but just being in there won’t hurt anything.”

Amy looked back at Rory, excited. Rory looked a bit nervous. “It’s just a box. How’re we all gonna fit in there?”

The Doctor snapped his fingers, and the doors opened behind him. “Why don’t you take a look?”

He stepped aside, letting Amy and Rory walk in. Their mouths dropped once more when they saw what was waiting for them.

“…Whoa.”

“Blimey.”

The Doctor was beaming as he stepped in behind them. “Welcome to the TARDIS. It’s bigger on the inside. Any questions?”

They shook their heads distantly. “Great, come along, then. Try to keep your voices down with Rose, she’s got the migraine from hell. Her words, not mine. She’s locked me out of her head — can’t stand having anything else in there right now.”

Amy and Rory exchanged looks before following the Doctor to a nearby hallway. It was lined with doors, and Amy wasn’t sure how the Doctor knew exactly which one to go to but he did. He opened the door as little as possible and they slid in. The room was completely pitch black — they could just make out a bed against the far wall with a lump under the blankets.

“Rose, love,” the Doctor called gently, going to sit next to the lump, which shifted and groaned.

“Told you to go see Amy…” Rose’s voice was weak and a bit pitiful.

“I did, she was worried about you. She and Rory are here.”

“Wha — like, _here_ here?” A messy blonde head poked itself out from under the blankets, Rose squinting a bit. She was clearly in pain, but she still managed to smile.

“Hey guys. Sorry to skip out on ya tonight.”

“It’s okay,” Amy said quickly, quietly. “Are you all right? You look terrible.”

Rose laughed a bit, dropping her head back on the pillow. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just did somethin’ a bit stupid, now I’m payin’ for it. Good night’s sleep and I’ll be back to normal though. No big deal. You guys go get your homework done.”

Amy was rather subdued as they made their way back to the house. “Everything okay?” The Doctor asked when he realized Amy wasn’t paying attention to his (frankly impressive) history lesson. Amy frowned, looking up from her notebook.

“What you two do…it’s dangerous, isn’t it?” She’d never really thought about it before. They never told her any stories that _sounded_ dangerous — they just boasted about their grand adventures in the stars. There was never anything about getting hurt.

The Doctor frowned, trying to figure out the best way to answer that. Rory looked up, curious about the answer as well. He knew Amy dreamed about traveling with Rose and the Doctor someday. Would she be in danger too, if and when she finally did go?

“It can be,” the Doctor finally said. “Rose also has a special talent for purposely putting herself in danger so that doesn’t help, but in general…yes. It can be dangerous sometimes. You’re dealing with aliens, there’s always going to be a little bit of danger.”

“You’re an alien,” Amy pointed out. “And you’re not dangerous at all.”

The Doctor smiled sadly. “Oh how I wish that were true.”

Amy made a face at him. “You’re not. I’ve seen small dogs more threatening than you.”

He laughed at that.

* * *

“Oh, you know I hate this tux,” the Doctor said with a sigh as Rose straightened his bow tie for him.

“We’re just poppin’ down for the reception, love. Just five minutes.”

“Then why can’t I wear my tweed?”

“Because we’re tryin’ to fit in, remember?”

He sighed. “ _Fiiiiiine_. Let’s get this over with, then.”

Rose tucked the envelope in his pocket so they wouldn’t lose it and took his hand, pulling him outside.

Donna Noble was in heaven as she danced under the spotlight with her new husband. Even the fact that Shaun was stepping on her toes couldn’t ruin this moment.

It was all perfect.

“You’re not supposed to be checkin’ your phone,” Mickey reminded Martha, carefully easing the device out of his wife’s hands.

“Donna was so sure they would come,” Martha muttered. It had been months since anyone had heard from Rose or the Doctor. It had put them all on edge, especially given what Donna had said about the last time she’d seen them.

Mickey happened to look over at the doors of the reception hall just in time to see them open. He smiled when a familiar blonde stepped in. “Babe.”

Martha looked back at Mickey, following his gaze, and her eyes lit up when she saw Rose. “Oh, thank god.”

The expression fell a bit, however, when an unfamiliar man in a top hat stepped in behind her. She turned and snatched the top hat off his head, giving him a look. He just grinned in return.

“Oh my god, is that…?”

Donna caught sight of them over Shaun’s shoulder. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t just a _little_ upset they hadn’t managed to make it to the ceremony, but she could forgive them.

As soon as the dance was over and everyone flooded onto the dance floor, Donna pawned Shaun off on Sylvia and fought her way through the crowd while Martha and Mickey did the same.

“Hey!”

Martha got their first, throwing her arms around Rose and holding her tight. Mickey caught up right behind her, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor.

“Looking good, boss.”

“Why thank you.” The Doctor grinned as Martha pulled away from Rose and Donna moved to hug her instead. “I’m rather fond of it myself.”

“Sorry we missed the wedding. Landed a bit late.”

“At least you made it for something,” Donna said with a sigh, holding Rose out at arm’s length to look her over. “You’re bone thin.”

“I am not, stop fussin’. It’s your weddin’ day, you’re supposed to be enjoyin’ it.” Rose stepped back and reached into the Doctor’s suit coat packet, pulling out an envelope. She smiled as she handed it over. “Happy Weddin’ Day.”

Donna raised an eyebrow as she took it. “What’s this, then?”

“It’s a present, silly. You’ll find out when you open it.”

“Oh, all right then. Come on, grab a table. We’re cutting the cake soon.”

“We can’t stay,” Rose said regretfully. “We wanted to drop off your present though.”

“No, come on, stay,” Donna insisted, grabbing Rose’s hand and dragging her further into the room, knowing the Doctor would follow. “I’ll tie you both down if I have to.”

“Okay, okay. We’re staying. We’ll stay.”

They stayed for about an hour, slipping out when Martha and Mickey went to dance. Donna sighed as she watched them go. “You alright, love?” Shaun asked, taking her hand. Donna smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

“Course I am. Here, look, I had a couple friends drop this off for us.” She grabbed the envelope from the middle of the table and opened it. There was a single, small piece of paper inside.

“A lotto ticket?” Shaun said as they examined the slip. “Be a laugh if it turned out it was a winner.”

Donna smiled a bit. She’d gotten this ticket from time travelers.

There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that it was.

* * *

Rose raised an eyebrow as she walked into Amy’s room and found the teen laying in bed, face buried in her pillow.

“All right, sweetie?” She asked, sitting down and running her hand through Amy’s hair. The Doctor was working on the TARDIS — it was a girls night tonight.

“My life is over,” Amy mumbled into her pillows, and Rose smiled. Typical dramatic teenager.

“I’m sure it isn’t, Amy. What’s goin’ on?”

Amy pouted as she lifted her head to look up at Rose. “I think I like Rory.” Her voice was so tortured. Rose raised an eyebrow.

“Well I _hope_ you like him, you guys spend ninety percent of your time together.”

“ _No_ , not like that.” Amy picked herself up, wrapping her arms around her pillow and leaning into it. “I mean like…like… _like_. Ya know.” She waved her hands around, as if that were an accurate representation of what she was trying to say. “Like…I have dreams about kissing him and stuff.”

Rose had to work _very_ hard not to laugh at that. “And that’s a bad thing?” She asked with a small smile.

“Yeah, ‘course it is! He’s gay!”

Well that was kind of out of left field. “He is? Did he tell you that?”

“No but I mean…isn’t it obvious? You said it yourself, we spend all our time together and I’ve never seen him even _look_ at another girl.”

Rose smiled, taking Amy’s hands and holding them tight. “Amy, sweetheart, that’s because he’s too busy lookin’ at _you_.”

Amy’s mouth fell open at that. “I…what?” She was the picture of shock. “What?”

It would’ve been rude to laugh. Rose had to keep reminding herself of that. “That boy’s been fixated on you for as long as I’ve known the two of you. He looks at you like you’re the only thing in the room in sometimes.”

“I never see him doing that!” Amy protested, her voice a bit high-pitched.

“Well admittedly he doesn’t usually do it when you’re staring right at him. But trust me on this one, alright? If that boy doesn’t like you, I’ll eat the Doctor’s bow tie.”

* * *

Rose got a text from Amy a couple days later. _He said YES!!!!!!!!!_

She smiled and leaned down into the grating to talk to the Doctor. “Amy asked Rory out.”

“Well it’s _about time_.”

* * *

Amy was considerably happier the next time they saw her — bright and practically glowing and giggling and she could hardly go more than a couple minutes without mentioning Rory in one way or another. Even if it was something small like, “So we were in class today and Rory…”

It was adorable. Rose was amused.

 _Do **not** tease her about it, _she told the Doctor firmly as they listened to Amy go off on another tangent.

_I wasn’t going to._

_Yes you were. I’m in your head love. She’s sixteen. If you tease her she’s going to feel stupid._

_Fine, fine. No teasing. I promise._

_Good boy._ Rose took his hand, smiling.

* * *

“What do you think?” Amy said with a flourish as she held up the leather jacket. Rory raised an eyebrow.

“I think you’re spending too much time with Rose.”

“Oh, Rose has nothing to do with it,” Amy insisted, examining herself in the mirror with the jacket against her chest. “I think I look good in leather.”

Rory stuttered a bit at that and Amy laughed, swooping in to kiss his cheek. “You’re adorable.”

Amy tried on the jacket, examining herself in the mirror. “I like it,” she declared. Rory didn’t say anything else — she was set on buying it. And it was a nice jacket, really. Hugged her body in all the right places. It was cute.

It was just obvious who she was trying to emulate with it.

It was no secret that Amy idolized Rose and the Doctor — but Rose especially. Rory knew she dreamed of traveling with them one day. And he doubted they would say no when the time finally came — they wanted her to finish school first but after that Rory knew they would whisk her away.

It scared him, to be honest.

* * *

“ _I GOT INTO OXFORD!_ ”

Well, Rose hadn’t been awake when she had answered the phone, but she certainly was now. “What, really?” She asked, bolting up and ignoring the Doctor’s aggravated whine as she left his arms. “That’s brilliant sweetheart, congratulations!”

“ _Isn’t it?! I just got the letter, I wasn’t expecting to…to…_ ” Amy let out a shriek, and Rose laughed.

“I’m so proud of you Amy. I really am. Congratulations.”

“ _Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I’m going out with Rory and some friends tonight, we’re celebrating — Rory got in too, we’re gonna be go together! — but can you guys come this weekend?_ ”

“Of course sweetie. We’ll see this weekend.”

“ _Great! Awesome! I’ll see you then, love you!_ ”

Rose was smiling as she hung up, laying back down with the Doctor. “What happened?” The Doctor murmured, pressing his face into Rose’s hair.

“Amy got into Oxford.”

“Well of course she did, she had _us_ teaching her.” Rose rolled her eyes, smiling a bit. “Blimey, she’s going to university. She’s an adult.”

“Yeah, she is.” They had watched her grow up. It seemed to take no time at all. “Seems like just yesterday she was seven, doesn’t it?”

“Might as well have been yesterday for us.” The Doctor sighed into her hair. This was the problem with living for a long time.

Everyone else seemed to age so fast.

* * *

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

Amy heard Rory’s disbelieving exclamation before she heard the wheeze of the TARDIS appearing. “Oh _no_.”

She ran into the living room to see the big box appearing in their little living room. “There is no way in _hell_ they can park in here,” she insisted. She had seen their parking jobs. They were sub par at best.

But they managed, somehow. There was no room _left_ in the living room when they were done, but they managed. The Doctor poked his head out, grinning.

“You owe me ten quid, Rose!”

“Call it even, I never collected on the Queen Victoria debt.”

“Absolutely _not_ ,” Amy said as the couple stepped out of the TARDIS. “There’s an alley outside, go park down there.”

“Amy Pond I’m surprised at you,” the Doctor said, aghast. “You want us to park our lovely ship out in a dingy old alley?”

“We can’t even see our couch!”

“I think they crushed our couch,” Rory said, trying to look around the TARDIS.

“Oh we did not, your couch is fine.”

“Coffee table might not be though,” Rose murmured, catching sight of the crushed wood under the box. “We’ll buy you a new one.”

Amy and Rory exchanged looks, and sighed. “Well, come on!” The Doctor said with a slight bounce. “Show us around!”

There wasn’t much to see — their new apartment was small, and most of the living room was obscured by the giant box currently sitting in the middle of it. After that it was just a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom.

“Not much, is it?” The Doctor asked, looking around. He yelped when Rose stepped on his foot.

“Well we can’t all have boxes that are bigger on the inside,” Amy said with a smile. She and Rory didn’t need much room. It was close to campus and they were together.

That was all that mattered.

* * *

“I think I need to go see Martha soon.”

The Doctor popped out from under the console to look at Rose, who was playing on her phone. “What, why? Is something wrong?”

“No, but her texts are starting to sound more and more annoyed.”

“Well maybe you should try answering them.”

Rose’s phone rang before she could respond to that. “Or Martha can take it into her own hands,” the Doctor said with a smirk.

“Nah, it’s Rory.” Rose smiled as she answered. “What’s up, sweetie?”

“ _Can you guys come around?_ ” Rory’s voice was quiet, uncertain. Rose sat up straight, all traces of humor gone.

“Yeah, of course. What’s wrong?”

“ _Amy’s aunt died. Heart attack_. _Amy’s…not doing well._ ”

Rose blew out a long breath, sighing. “All right. Yeah we’ll be there in five.”

She hung up, going to the console. “What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked, hopping out from under the grating. Something had clearly happened.

“Sharon passed away.”

Rose landed them in the alley, and they hurried up to Amy’s and Rory’s apartment.

Amy was just sitting on the couch, staring at the TV’s dark screen. Rory was sitting next to her, trying to talk to her when Rose and the Doctor let themselves in. Amy didn’t even spare them a glance. Rory shifted so Rose could sit next to the young redhead.

“Amy?” No answer. “Hey.” Rose reached out, taking her hand. “Talk to me, kiddo.”

Nothing. “I’m gonna go make some tea,” Rory said quietly, shuffling toward the kitchen.

“I’ll help,” the Doctor said, hurrying after the young man. Rose shifted her free hand to run it through Amy’s hair.

“Amy, sweetie…”

“I just talked to her yesterday.” Amy’s voice was distant. “She was twittering on about a sale at the store and how she was gonna go this weekend and I should come get something besides mini skirts. She wouldn’t shut up and I just wanted to hang up with her.” Her face crumpled as tears filled her eyes. “I couldn’t wait to get off the phone with her because she was being annoying and now she’s…she’s…”

“Ssshhh,” Rose murmured, pulling Amy into a tight hug as the young woman collapsed into tears. “I know, sweetie. I know. It’s okay. I know.”

Amy curled into Rose, burying her face in Rose’s shoulder as she cried. She couldn’t say her and her aunt had been _close_. But she loved her aunt. Of course she did. Sharon had given her a home and raised her. She hadn’t been perfect, but at least she’d been there.

And now she wasn’t.

Rose held Amy until long after the tears had run dry. Rory and the Doctor stayed in the kitchen, knowing Rose was the best comfort for the young Scot right then. Rory peeked into the living room to check on them at one point. “She’s really good at that, isn’t she?” He asked quietly as he went back to the table to sit with the Doctor.

“Rose has a natural talent for taking care of people,” the Doctor agreed, munching on a Jammie Dodger. “Still impresses me even after all this time.”

Amy curled tightly into Rose, still sniffling. “She’s gone,” she whimpered after a moment. Rose kissed the top of her head.

“I am so sorry, Amy. I really, really am.”

Amy clung to Rose a bit tighter, and Rose brushed her hair back gently. “Do you have any family, Rose?” She asked after a minute.

“Well I’ve got you and Rory and the Doctor—”

“I mean like…a mum and a dad.” She never talked about them. She said she was human, though, so she must have parents. Right?

Rose was quiet for a long, long moment. “My dad died when I was a baby. Car accident. My mum…got trapped in another universe when I was twenty. I’ve seen her once since then — accident really, I never should’ve been able to see her again. But she’s happy there. She’s got a life.”

“Can you ever see her again?” Rose shook her head. For all intents and purposes, Jackie Tyler might as well have been dead. “How do you deal with that?”

It took Rose a long moment to answer. “You just…you keep breathing. That’s the first step. You remember to breathe. Then you remember to get out of bed. Then you remember to eat. It takes a while, but eventually you remember how to live, and it doesn’t feel like a chore anymore.”

Amy squeezed her eyes shut, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Can you guys stay tonight?”

“Of course, sweetheart. We’ll stay for as long as you need us.”

* * *

Amy sighed as she sat on the ground in the back garden. Sharon had left her the house — a whole house. She and Rory had been sharing a tiny apartment for almost two years now, and now she had an entire house. They had a house. Amy wasn’t sure yet if she would keep it, but…for now, why not.

She smiled a bit as a light wind whipped to life, and the wheezing sound of the TARDIS echoed in her ears. She scrambled up as the box appeared and the doors opened, Rose and the Doctor stepping out. “Hey.” She hugged them both, holding on to Rose a bit longer.

“How’re you doin’, sweetie?”

Amy wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Living.” It was hard — losing her aunt was so much harder than Amy ever would’ve thought.

But at least she wasn’t alone.

* * *

“How do you think Mum’s doin’?”

The Doctor looked down at the tiny, naked blonde resting against his bare chest. Jackie Tyler wasn’t really his preferred topic of conversation after sex, but…he could see why Rose was thinking about her.

“I’m sure she’s fine. She _loves_ living in a mansion, you know. Pretty sure she maxed out five of Pete’s credit cards in the first year we were there. And that’s saying something.”

Rose laughed a bit at that. “Do you ever…regret not staying with her?” The Doctor asked after a moment. “Connection to the TARDIS aside…if you could’ve stayed, would you have?”

“Absolutely not,” Rose said at once. “I love Mum, and I’ll miss her for the rest of my life…but she has a life. She doesn’t need me anymore. And you’re rubbish on your own.”

The Doctor smiled, kissing the top of her head. “I really am.”

* * *

Rory Williams was a nervous wreck.

All things considered, though, he was handling it pretty well. He kept fingering the box in his pocket, looking around nervously. He didn’t have a grand plan or anything — they were just out for a walk along the lake, Amy leaning on Rory and smiling stupidly. She was so happy.

He wanted to keep her that happy for the rest of their lives.

If she would let him.

“Okay, what’s going on with you?” Amy asked, looking up at him. “You’ve been fidgety and nervous all day.”

Well so much for covering up well. “Well I…ya see…” He took a deep breath. _Just do it Rory_. “I just…”

Amy’s eyes widened as he got down on his knee, fishing the box out of his pocket. “Yes,” she said before he could even speak.

“Amy Pond—”

“Yes.”

“W-Will you—”

Amy swooped in, grabbing his face and kissing him good and soundly. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” She whispered against his lips, tears in her eyes. “Yes, stupid. _Yes_.”

* * *

Amelia Jessica Pond’s life was perfect.

Or as close to perfect as humanly possible, at least. She had an amazing fiance, and the best surrogate parents a woman could ask for.

And today she was graduating from university, with Rose and the Doctor right in the front row, watching her with pure, unabashed _pride_ in their eyes. When Amy’s name was called they clapped the loudest by far.

They tracked her down after the ceremony, Rose instantly pulling her into a tight hug. “Congratulations sweetie,” she said, kissing Amy’s cheek. Amy grinned.

“I did it.”

“Well of course you did, you’re brilliant,” the Doctor piped up. Amy grinned at him.

“I just had really good teachers.”

“Nah, the best teachers in the world wouldn’t be able to help you if you were stupid.”

Rose rolled her eyes, smiling fondly at him. “Amy!” They turned to see Rory pushing through the crowd toward them.

“Hey!” Amy hugged him quickly before pressing a kiss to his lips.

“C’mon, Dad wants to see you before we leave. Hey Rose, hey Doctor.”

“Hi Rory.” Rose pulled him into a quick hug. “Congratulations. You guys have plans tonight?”

“Yeah, we’re going out with some friends.”

“Meet me at the house later?” Amy asked Rose and the Doctor.

“Sure, sweetie. Have fun.”

* * *

Amy celebrated with Rory and their friends long into the night. The two of them separated when they left the bar — Rory was spending the night at his dad’s and then going out with him for a celebratory lunch tomorrow.

And Amy had a graduation gift to collect on.

“Be safe,” Rory said before he left. Amy kissed him happily.

“I will. I promise. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

The TARDIS was sitting in the garden, waiting for Amy when she got up. She hurried upstairs and changed into something a little more comfortable before going out back.

Rose and the Doctor were leaning against the TARDIS when Amy walked out. She paused for a moment, equal parts fear and excitement welling up in her. She had dreamed of this day for _years_ now, since the first time Rose and the Doctor had promised they would take her somewhere when she was old enough.

And now it was time.

“All set, then?” Rose asked, pushing herself up. Amy grinned.

“Absolutely.”

Rose snapped her fingers, and the TARDIS doors creaked open. They stepped aside to let Amy walk in first. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she walked, no longer just a visitor.

Now she was a passenger.

“Ready to go?” The Doctor asked as he and Rose made their way to the console. Amy nodded excitedly, and the Time Lord threw a lever. The rotor wheezed to life…

And they were off.


	2. The Death of River Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River Song is preparing for her final journey - the Library. Nobody knows that but Rose, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was *a lot* I had planned to um... *rework* Moffat's canon, as it were, but basically-
> 
> >Amy was never kidnapped, Melody Pond was born on the TARDIS  
> >The Pond-Williams family continues to travel with Rose and the Doctor for a few years, until Mel disappears one day while they're exploring an outdoor market  
> >From there canon goes on more or less as normal, save for obvious things like River and the Doctor not being together/married/etc. And yes it's still Alex Kingston as River because I mean, have you seen her, she's amazing  
> >Amy and Rory decided to step back and leave the TARDIS after a very near miss with the Weeping Angels. River is doing her Thing but still checks in with her parents and Rose and the Doctor frequently
> 
> I think those are the big details, but ya know, never hurts to ask if you're confused about something lol.

“ _I don’t suppose you’ve talked to-_ ”

“Ow!” The Doctor yelped as the TARDIS shocked him. He cursed in Gallifreyan, hitting the console.

“Oi, oi!” Rose griped, tilting the phone away from her ear to talk to the Doctor properly. “What’d I tell you about hittin’?”

“But she _shocked_ me,” the Doctor whined, pouting. “I thought she was supposed to be _nice_ to me.”

“Well maybe you should try being nice first and set an example.”

The Doctor still looked incredibly put out as Rose returned to her phone call. Amy was laughing. “ _Lover’s quarrel_?”

“Theirs is a complicated relationship.” Rose giggled a bit, curling up tighter in the captain’s seat. “Sorry, you were asking something?”

“ _I was just wondering if you’d heard from River recently_.”

“I… don’t think so, no. Why?”

“ _Well she called last week and mentioned she was going on an exhibition to some… library? I don’t know, but I was wondering how it went._ ”

The phone nearly slipped out of Rose’s hand. The ground seemed to spin out beneath her, a dull roar filling her ears. Library. A library. The Library.

 _Nonononononono_ …

The phone disappeared from Rose’s hand. “Amy, Rose will call you back,” the Doctor said calmly as he hung up, sitting down beside Rose. “Rose, love-”

“No, give me the phone!”

Rose grabbed the phone faster than the Doctor could follow, finding River’s number and hitting call. It rang once, twice…

 _Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up_ …

“ _Aunt Rose_!”

Rose could’ve cried in relief. “River. Sweetie. Hi.”

Apparently something of her emotions rang in her voice. “ _What’s wrong? Is everything okay? Did something happen to Mum and Dad_?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rose said quickly, rubbing her eyes. The Doctor rubbed her back gently. He had no idea what was going on, but something was clearly wrong. “Everything is fine. I was just talkin’ to your mum, actually. Thought I’d give you a call too. Hey what’re you doing right now? Where are you?”

“ _Just cleaning up my office, getting ready to_ -”

“Brilliant, stay there.”

Rose snapped her phone shut and jumped up, walking to the console. “Rose, love,” the Doctor said gently. “Will you tell me what’s going on? Please?”

Rose shook her head -- one quick jerk of her neck. “Later.”

* * *

River huffed, annoyed, as the sound of the TARDIS reached her ears and wind whipped to life in her office, sending all her papers flying. “Oh are you joking?” She muttered, catching what she could. “I told them not to land in my office!”

Not that that ever stopped Rose. Or the Doctor.

Still, she wouldn’t say no to a chance to see her favorite aunt and uncle. She was beaming as the doors open and Rose and the Doctor stepped out. “Big whole campus outside you could land on,” she said with a laugh as she pulled Rose into a hug. “And you have to land in my tiny cupboard office.”

“Well landing outside requires too much walking,” Rose informed her with a bright grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You two run for a living!” River said, wrapping the Doctor in a hug as well. “Walking fifty feet won’t kill you.”

“Maybe not but we might twist an ankle,” the Doctor pointed out blithely, and River rolled her eyes.

“I’m surprised you don’t _break_ an ankle every time you put weight on it. Honestly, big long streak of nothing.”

“Should’ve seen his last body. Come on then, what’re you doing? Anything important?”

River shrugged, looking around her office. “Well, I’ve got a bunch of papers to clean up but I won’t do that until after you two leave. I’m just getting ready for-”

“Brilliant, let’s go!”

And with that Rose grabbed River’s hand, dragging her into the TARDIS. River shot the Doctor a bewildered look. He just shrugged in return. Rose hadn’t told him anything.

“All right. Where are we going?” River asked as Rose bounced to the console. Rose grinned over her shoulder.

“It’s a surprise! Hang on!”

River grabbed the railing as Rose sent the TARDIS into the vortex, looking just a bit manic. They both knew that look quite well - even if they didn’t understand it right then.

They landed with a thud and Rose bounced past them, heading outside. River and the Doctor took that as a hint to follow.

“Darillium!” Rose announced happily. River raised an eyebrow.

“Finally seeing those Singing Towers you’ve been on about for years?” She teased, and Rose grinned.

“Absolutely. Come on!”

They started down the street together, Rose bouncing ahead happily. “You really don’t know what’s wrong?” River whispered to the Doctor, who shook his head.

 _Rose?_ He ventured uncertainly. _Talk to me. Please_.

He was surprised when walls slammed down in Rose’s mind.

That answered that question.

The towers wouldn’t start singing until nightfall, so they stopped at a small diner to eat first. “Not that I’m complaining about a vacation,” River said as they waited for their food, “but what prompted all this, exactly?”

“Can’t a woman want to see her favorite niece?”

River raised an eyebrow. “You got another niece running around that I don’t know about?”

“I could have twenty, who knows. Amy and Rory have a long life ahead of them still.”

River choked on her drink mid-sip, trying not to laugh. “Oh god, I can’t imagine ending up with twenty siblings. Mum would jump off a roof.”

“Rory would be thrilled though,” the Doctor pointed out. “I can just see his face.”

“He _has_ always wanted a big family. Remember when him and Amy used to play house? He wanted to be a stay-at-home dad and insisted they had ten kids.”

“Pretty sure Mum would draw the line at three,” River said with a small smile.

The sun was almost finished setting as they finished their meal, so they made their way to the towers. Even before they’d reached them, the sound of music reached their ears, and River’s face lit up.

“It’s beautiful…”

Rose wound both her arms around River’s, leaning on her as they walked. “Told you we’d get you here.”

River rested her head on Rose’s shoulder, smiling. “Never doubted you for a minute.”

“Not even a second?”

“Not even a microsecond.”

The Doctor hung back, watching them with his hands in his pockets. He didn’t like that Rose wouldn’t tell him what was going on - whenever that happened it meant it had something to do with what had happened when they were separated.

Still, there was no point in pushing now - Rose was completely focused on spending time with River.

The Doctor would get the answers out of her later.

They watched the towers for a long time, just basking in the sound, Rose never letting go of River. At one point when River looked at her aunt, there were tears streaming silently down her face.

“Aunt Rose…?”

She shook her head, wiping her eyes quickly. “I’m okay.”

Somehow, River didn’t believe that. She wrapped her arms around Rose, holding her tight.

“Come on,” the Doctor said finally after a couple of hours. “Let’s head back.”

Rose hesitated for a moment before giving in, and they went back to the TARDIS. “Do you have your pen?” She asked River suddenly as they walked in.

“Of course.” River dug her sonic pen out of her pocket, holding it up for Rose.

“Brilliant.” She snatched the pen from River and dug a bit of grating back, jumping down under the console to find what she needed to fix up the pen. While she did that, the Doctor brought them back to River’s office.

“Please tell me you landed _outside_.”

“…I would never make you walk, River.”

River groaned. “There’s a bloody bald spot on my carpet where you two always manage to land. I want to get the carpet replaced, but then you’ll just ruin another one.”

“Oh you wouldn’t love us if we made life easy,” Rose said as she reappeared, holding out the pen for River. She took it back, turning it in her fingers.

“What’d you do to it?”

“Just gave it a bit of an upgrade,” Rose gave her the best smile she could, but there were still tears shining in her eyes. It broke River’s heart to see her in such a state - she wished Rose would just tell her what was going on.

“Aunt Rose, are you okay?” She asked. Rose just pulled her into a tight hug.

“I love you, sweetheart,” she whispered, voice cracking. River hugged her back tight.

“I love you too. Tell you what, once I’m back from my exhibition I’ll come stay with you for a bit. Maybe we can go see Mum and Dad.”

“Yeah.” Rose wiped her eyes, pulling away. “Yeah, that’ll be nice. Go on, then.”

River smiled, hugging the Doctor real quick before leaving. Rose waited until the door was firmly closed before she broke, sliding to the floor, her arms wrapping tight around her slim body as she sobbed.

The Doctor sent them into the vortex quickly before hurrying to kneel with Rose, gathering her in his arms and holding her tight. Rose’s breath hitched as she buried her face in his tweed jacket, gasping.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered over and over. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“Sssshhh, sssshhh,” the Doctor tried to comfort her, smoothing her hair back and rocking her. “It’s okay, Rose. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Finally, _finally_ Rose let her shields drop, letting the Doctor see the memories she had been struggling to keep at bay all day - landing at the Library, meeting River… watching her die…

The Doctor’s hearts dropped to his toes as everything flashed through his mind.

 _Oh, River_ …

“I tried… I tried so hard to find a way to save her,” Rose gasped, forcing herself to speak. “I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried…”

“Rose, sssshhhh.” The Doctor held her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sure you did, love. I’m sure you did. But it has to happen.” It was awful, and it broke his hearts… but River needed to save Rose.

“I tried…”

The Doctor readjusted himself to sit cross-legged and pull his distraught wife into his arms, hugging her tight and rocking her gently.

“I know, Rose. I know.”

* * *

Amy was just putting the finishing touches on dinner when she heard the front door opened. She beamed as Rory walked into the kitchen, taking a deep breath.

“You cooked.”

“I did.” Amy went to wrap her arms around Rory’s neck, kissing him gently.

“Did you cook for me?” He asked against her lips as he wound his arms around her waist.

“Nooooo, sorry. I cooked for another husband.”

“Damn.” Rory sighed. “I was really hungry, I was hoping you were cooking for me. Your other husband is really lucky.”

“Isn’t he?”

Rory laughed, kissing her again - and they both groaned when the faint sound of the TARDIS reached their ears. “I love them,” Rory said. “I really, really do. But they have _horrible_ timing sometimes.”

“Yup.”

They headed outside as the TARDIS finished materializing in the garden. “I hate your timing,” Amy said with a laugh as Rose and the Doctor walked out, and she hugged Rose happily. “Seriously, you couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?”

Rose hugged Amy, a little too tight. Amy didn’t notice, but Rory saw the look on the blonde’s face. She had been crying recently.

Something was wrong.

“What’s going on?” He asked, looking at the Doctor. The Time Lord sighed.

“Let’s go inside.”

* * *

The Doctor ended up doing most of the talking -- Rose was struggling to keep from falling apart again; she didn’t want to do that with Amy and Rory. She needed to be strong.

So talking wasn’t the best option.

She did watch, though, as Amy and Rory listened, their faces slowly falling as they realized what the Doctor was saying. “Oh god,” Rory whispered, and Amy squeezed her eyes shut.

“She… did she suffer?”

Rose’s breath caught, and she shook her head mutely. No, it had been quick. She couldn’t find her voice to say that though.

Amy scrubbed her eyes, trying to breathe evenly. “You… you said she’s not really…”

Oh god, she had to talk. Rose took a deep breath, begging her voice to stay steady as she said, “She’s… her mind is… living in a computer. She’s… alive… so to speak, but for all intents and… and purposes…”

Her breath hitched, voice breaking. Oh god she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this. “I’m sorry.” She jumped up, hurrying out of the room muttering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

The Doctor hopped up to follow her, but Amy stopped him. “I’ll go,” she said quietly, hurrying after Rose.

Rose couldn’t even get through the TARDIS doors. She just slid down against the wood, curling up tight with her arms wrapped her legs, face buried in her knees as she cried.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to no one. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

She barely noticed when someone settled down next to her, and a head rested on her shoulder. It took her another five minutes to wipe her eyes and lift her own head to see Amy sitting with her.

“Amy…”

“You said she died protecting you, right?” The redhead asked quietly. Rose nodded.

“Protecting me, and saving over four-thousand people.”

“Good.” Amy’s voice was soft but fierce. “That’s a brilliant death. She would’ve been happy to go that way.”

Rose took a deep breath, forcing out the words. “She… when it happened, she gave me a message… I didn’t understand it until I realized who… who she was…”

“What was it?” Amy prompted gently.

“She… She said to tell her parents that she… she didn’t have any regrets. And that she loves you both so much.” A tear slipped down Rose’s cheek, and Amy swallowed hard.

“Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“No offense, but I… really need you to hold it together right now because I just found out my daughter’s dead, and I’m going to start crying in about five seconds.”

Rose instantly wrapped her arms around Amy, holding the younger woman as she finally started to cry.

Eventually Rory and the Doctor came out to find them, and they all went inside together. They tried to eat, but nobody was really hungry anymore. After a while, Amy just dragged Rose upstairs to get the guest room ready.

“Really we can just sleep in the TARDIS-”

“Nope, don’t trust the two of you to take off without saying goodbye. At least if you’re right next door there’s a better chance I’ll hear you wake up.” She closed the door behind them, turning to look at Rose. “Besides, there’s something I want to tell you. And you’re not allowed to tell anyone, not even the Doctor, because I haven’t told Rory yet and the Doctor can’t keep a secret and if he ruins it for me I’ll hit him so hard he’ll skip a body.”

Rose almost smiled a bit at that as she closed her mind down. “Alright. What’s the secret?”

Amy took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

And Rose’s mouth fell open. “What? Really?” Amy nodded slowly. “Oh my god, congratulations!”

She wrapped Amy in a tight hug that the woman returned with just as much strength. “I just found out today,” she murmured into Rose’s shoulder. “I was going to tell Rory tonight, that’s what the whole dinner was…”

Rose hugged her a bit tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Amy pulled away to look at Rose. There were tears shining in her eyes even as she smiled. “I’m glad you guys are here.”

Rory and Amy went to bed early. The Doctor wasn’t tired, though, and Rose didn’t feel like laying down, so they sat downstairs and Rose watched the Doctor play Wii.

“We should really just get one of these things for the TARDIS game room,” Rose said with a smile, watching the Doctor as he bounced the little man around on the screen. He was playing tennis.

“Oh, but then we wouldn’t have a reason to visit Amy and Rory.”

Rose slapped the Doctor’s arm, giggling just a little. He grinned back in return. “Do you want a turn?”

“No, I’m good.” She couldn’t focus on trying to play right then. The Doctor turned back to the game, focusing for a moment.

“So what did Amy tell you earlier?”

“It’s a secret,” Rose said with a smirk. The Doctor pouted at her.

“You can’t even tell me?”

“I’ll tell you after she tells Rory.”

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?” He begged. Rose kissed him gently.

“Soon.”

She rested her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes for a moment. The Doctor paused the game, looking down at her.

“Do you want to go to bed?” Rose shook her head. “Love, you’re exhausted.”

“I don’t want to sleep.”

The Doctor sighed, pulling the blanket down off the back of the couch and bundling her up in it, holding her close. “It’s okay to sleep, Rose. You need rest.”

“I don’t _want_ to.” Why didn’t he get that?

Except he did get it. He did understand why she didn’t want to sleep. It just wasn’t healthy.

“I’ll be right here. I’m not going to leave you alone. I promise.”

Rose sighed, finally relaxing into the Doctor’s chest. “Cross your heart?”

“Cross both of them and hope to live a good long life.” The Doctor smiled, kissing the top of her head and switching to telepathy, knowing that would sooth her. _Sleep, love_.

That lulled her off; she was asleep within moments.

Thankfully, the nightmares didn’t plague Rose that night - she suspected the Doctor’s gentle presence in her mind had something to do with that. She woke up the next morning alone in the guest room bed, but with his playful nudge still tickling the back of her head.

_Doctor?_

_I’ll be in soon_ , he assured her.

 _What are you doing?_ She frowned, trying to see, but he shut her down.

 _You’ll see later. Amy made pancakes_.

 _Ooooooh_.

Rose clambered out of bed, heading downstairs and taking a long, deep breath. “Smells good.”

“Thanks,” Amy smiled. Her eyes, Rose noticed, were a bit red. She’d been crying again.

Rory was just finishing up eating and Rose was just sitting down with her plate when the Doctor burst through the door, looking very much like a hyper, manic twelve year old.

“Where’ve you been?” Rose asked as she cut out a bite of pancake. The Doctor snatched the fork out of her hand and popped it in her mouth. “Oi!” She yelped, pouting. “That was mine!”

“I just wanted a bite! What happened to what’s mine is yours?”

“That doesn’t apply to food!”

“It applies when you want to take my chips.”

“Chips don’t count as food.”

“Oh, I’ll make it up to you later.” The Doctor waved her off with the hand that wasn’t conspicuously hiding something behind his back. “Amy, c’mere, I’ve got something for you. For both of you. For all of us really. C’mere.”

Amy made a face, walking to the table and sitting down next to Rose, and the Doctor finally whipped out his big surprise -- a flat piece of golden metal. He placed it on the table and they leaned in to see the words inscribed on the smooth surface:

_Melody Rose Pond-Williams_

_River Song_

Underneath that were a few Gallifreyan symbols. “What are those?” Amy asked curiously.

“Rough translations,” Rose broke in before the Doctor could answer. “That one is daughter, and that’s niece, and that’s beloved.”

“Since we can’t have a proper funeral for her.” The Doctor’s voice was low now, gentle. “I wanted to do something. I have no idea what to do with it, but-”

“I do,” Rory said, jumping up and disappearing out of the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a metal stake. “Doctor can you attach this to that?”

“Absolutely.” He took the stake and the plaque, welding them together with the sonic. When that was done Rory took it and headed outside with everyone else following.

They watched as he knelt down in the garden, staking the plaque into the ground where it would be surrounded by lilies and roses. “There.” He stood up to admire his handy work, and Amy looped both of her arms around his, holding on tight and resting her head on his shoulder.

“It’s perfect.”

Rose leaned back against the Doctor as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her in.

 _Thank you_ , Rose said quietly, and he pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

 _Of course, love. Of course_.


End file.
